One killed in renewed Abu attacks

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Abu Sayyaf guerrillas struck again in separate areas in Sulu and Basilan, leaving one of them dead and a girl wounded, the military said yesterday.

An Abu Sayyaf member was gunned down last Saturday after he sneaked into an Army camp in Talipao, Sulu and attacked a soldier with a machete, a military report said.

It was believed that the slain man was out to steal firearms when he was spotted by a sentry, prompting him to attack.

Another group of Abu Sayyaf fighters opened fire on houses in Talipao town also on Saturday, wounding a young girl, the military said. The motive for the attack remains unknown.

A band of Abu Sayyaf gunmen also waylaid a motorboat off the island of Basilan last Thursday, robbing four fishermen aboard before taking their boat and forcing them to jump off and swim for shore, military spokesman Col. Fredesvindo Covarrubias said. — Roel Pareño, AFP